Rotary clothes drier



Feb. 18, 1947. POLLARD ROT ARY CLOTHES DRIER Filed June 27, 1945 FIGQ 5INVENTOR.

FRANK L., DOLLAQD 0 Ge PF Patented Feb. 18, 1947 rrso STATES PATENTROTARY CLOTHES DRIER Frank L. Pollard, Oakland, Calif.

Application June 2'7, 1945, Serial No. 601,734

3 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to clothes racks of the rotary typeand constitutes an improvement over the rack disclosed in the Pollard eta1. Patent No, 2,289,450 of July 14, 1942.

The object of this invention is the provision of a radially collapsiblerotary clothes drier, the metal fittings of which can all be made of diestampings and readily assemblied to produc an operating mechanism.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which withthe foregoing will be set forth at length in the following descriptionwhere one form of the invention has been selected for illustration inthe drawing accompanying and forming a part of the present specificationis outlined in full. in said drawing, one form of the invention isshown, but it is to be understood that it is not limited to such form,since the invention as set forth in the claims may be embodied in otherforms:

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a vertically collapsible rotary clothesdrier embodying the objects of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial central vertical section showing the drierillustrated in Fig. 1 in its collapsed position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central vertical section showing the clothesrack in its open operative position.

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical section of the upper end of the rackstandard and its associated mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the upper end of the rack standard anits associated parts.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the section line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken on the line ll of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 7,

As shown in these figures, the objects of my invention have beenembodied in a rotary clothes drier rack comprising a block I in which isdetachably mounted a post or standard 2 of circular cross section.Disposed over the upper end of the standard 2 is a cylindrical uppercollar 3 provided with an inwardly extendin circular flange 4 arrangedto seat on the upper end of the standard. Inserted into the upper end ofthe standard 2 is a screw 5 provided with a square or hexagonal head as,this head having positive clearance with the upper collar 3 so as topermit the rotation of the collar with respect to the standard 2. Seatedon the head 6 is a washer. I and securing the washer in place is a wingnut 8. The upper collar 3 is provided with two pairs of diagonallydisposed, longitudinally extending, symmetrically arranged slots B asbest indicated in Fig. 6. Threaded through each pair of slots 8 is anoutwardly extending U- shaped upper hinge member 9. Pivoted to each ofthese four upper hinge members 9 by a bolt [0 is a connecting arm ll ofchannel form.

Secured to two opposed pairs of adjacent hinge members 9 by the bolts I0is an outwardly facing, U-shaped stiiiening member l2. Welded to one ormore of these stiffening members is a downwardly extending, outwardlybowed, spring finger l3.

Rotatably and slidably mounted on the standard 2 below the upper collar3 is a lower collar I4, and welded thereon are two diametrically opposedoutwardly extending symmetrically arranged hinge members l5. Pivoted toeach of the hinge members l5 by a bolt I5 is a clothes line rack arm ll,preferably made of wood.

Snugly fitting around each of the rack arms I 7 intermediate its ends isa pair of opposed U- shaped caps 18. Pivoted to each of the rack arms I!through its associated pair of opposed caps if! by means of a bolt I9,is the outer end of one of the connecting arms H. Secured to and betweeneach pairof adjacent lower hinge members It by means of the bolts i6, isan outwardly facing stiffening angle 2 l.

Formed on the lower end of each of the downwardly extending springfingers E3 is an outwardly and upwardly extending hook 22, arranged inthe operative position of the rack to engage the lower edge of theadjacent stiffening member 2| (see in Fig. 5). Each of the rack arms I!is formed with a plurality of perforations 23 and threaded through theseperforations is a clothes line 24. From an inspection of this figure, itis to be noted that the lower ends of the spring fingers l 3 passbetween the outer face of the lower collar l4 and the inner face of thestiffening angles 2!. To collapse the rack above described, it isnecessary only to raise slightly the lower collar M so that thestiffening angles 2i will clear the upper edge of the hook members 22and then to spring the lower ends of the spring fingers l3 inwardly andsimultaneously to permit the collar M to drop under the influence of itsown weight and the vertical component of the weight of the rack armassembly. To open the rack to its operative position, it is necessarysimply to raise the rack until the stiffening angles 2| have reached apoint above the hooks 22, whereupon the spring fingers will moveoutwardly under their own resiliency so as to permit the hooks 2| toengage the lower edges of the stiffening members when the lower collar14 is permitted to drop.

From the above description it should be noted that I have described therotary clothes rack assembly, all of the metal fittings of which can beeconomically made by die stamping and which can be simply and rapidlyassembled.

I claim:

1. A clothes drier comprising: a standard; a first collar provided withan inwardly extending flange rotatably mounted on the upper end of saidstandard, said collar being provided with diametrically opposed pairs ofcircumferentially spaced longitudinally extending slots; an outwardlyextending U-shaped hinge member threaded through each of said pairs ofslots; a connecting arm hinged at its inner end to each of said U-shapedhinge members; a second collar mounted on said standard below said firstcollar; diametrically opposed rack arms hinged at their inner ends tosaid second collar and pivoted intermediate their ends to the outer endsof said connecting arms; a spring finger mounted on one of said collarsand arranged to extend longitudinally in the direction of said othercollar; and means for detachably securing said spring finger to saidother collar.

2. A rotary clothes drier comprising: a standard; a first collarprovided at its upper end with an inwardly extendin flange rotatablymounted on the upper end of said standard, said collar being providedwith two pairs of diametrically opposed peripherally spaced andlongitudinally extending slots; an outwardly extending U- shaped hingemember threaded through each pair of said diametrically opposed slots; aconnecting arm hinged-atits inner end to each of said hinge members; asecond collar slidably and rotatably mounted on said standard below saidfirst collar;

diametrically opposed outwardly extending U- shaped hinge memberssecured to said second collar; a rack arm hinged at its inner end toeach of said second outwardly extending U- shaped hinge members andpivoted intermediate its ends to one of said connecting arms; adownwardly extending spring finger mounted on said upper collar; andmeans for detachably securing the lower end of said spring finger tosaid second collar.

3. A rotary clothes drier comprising: a standard; a first collarrotatably mounted on the upper end of said standard; two pairs ofdiametrically opposed outwardly extending and symmetrically arrangedU-shaped upper hinge members mounted on said first collar; an outwardlyextending U-shaped stiffening member secured to and between eachadjacent pair of U-shaped hinge members; a second collar slidably androtatably mounted on said standard below said first collar; two pairs ofdiametrically opposed outwardly extending U-shaped lower hinge memberssecured to said second collar, one in vertical alignment with each ofsaid upper hinge members; outwardly extending U-shaped lower stiffeningmembers secured to and between each pair of said lower U-shaped hingemembers; a downwardly extending spring finger fastened to each of saidupper stiffening members and arranged to have its'lower end pass betweensaid lower collar and one of said lower stiffening members, each of saidspring fingers being provided at its lower end with an outwardlyextending lug arranged to catch on the lower edge of its associatedlower stiffening member; a rack arm pivoted at its inner end to each ofsaid lower hinge members; and a connecting arm hinged at its inner endto each of said upper U-shaped hinge members and at its outer ends toone of said rack arms intermediate the ends thereof.

FRANK L. POLLARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS British May 1, 1924

